1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for moving and packing freshly harvested and spray-washed agricultural products by means of system of conveyors that moves receptacles called “totes” to a position under a discharge chute for filling and then moves the filled totes onto a loading station for further transport to a processing facility.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Agricultural products such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, are typically harvested manually and placed directly onto a conveyor belt which moves the agricultural products under and past a series of nozzles which field-wash the agricultural products by spraying chemically treated water directly onto the vegetables as they pass underneath or alongside the nozzles. The freshly harvested agricultural products are visually inspected as they are spray-washed by the horizontally or downwardly-directed nozzles and damaged or soiled vegetables or discarded or returned to the beginning of the washing conveyor as the case may be. The spray-wash nozzles are mounted on the sides of an upward-angled conveying apparatus that moves the washed vegetables to a chute which downwardly discharges them into empty transport bins which have been sequentially placed on tractor-drawn trailers. These cubical transport bins typically measure four (4) ft.×four (4) ft.×four (4) ft. and are typically made of a corrugated cardboard material.
Typically, a tractor or other farm vehicle will move the trailer upon which the bin is placed so as to position the bin under the discharge chute. The freshly harvested and spray-washed vegetables are discharged into the bin until it is filled and the tractor moves the trailer so as to position the next bin under the discharge chute and the process of filling the bin starts over again. When all of the bins on a given trailer have been filled, the packing process stops while the tractor hauls away the trailer and another tractor positions another trailer loaded with empty bins so as the bins can be placed under the discharge chute.
While some agricultural products such as broccoli and cauliflower possess a fibrous and compact composition and are thus able to withstand the impact of a 4–5 foot drop into a transport bin without bruising or other damage, other vegetables such as lettuce, and especially cored lettuce and baby lettuces, are more fragile and will bruise easily or break apart when subjected to a 4–5 foot drop into a storage bin. Industry estimates indicate that ten to fifteen percent (10–15%) of the cored lettuce harvested for “fresh pack” shipments will be rejected by the packaging facility as “unacceptable” because of the damage these agricultural products receive from falling into the transport bins.
In an industry where time is critical, any delays in the movement of the vegetables from the point of harvest to the point of packing will only serve to further delay the ultimate delivery of the freshly harvested and packed vegetables to a remote processing or packaging facility. These delays increase the risk of damage to the vegetables in the bins and also disrupt the rhythm of the harvesting and packing crews thereby decreasing overall efficiency of the harvesting and packing operation.
This invention seeks to minimize damage to freshly harvested and spray-washed agricultural products by reducing the vertical distance the agricultural products will fall after leaving the chute which guides the agricultural products into the transport receptacle. This invention accomplishes its purpose by moving smaller industry-standard transport receptacles called “totes” to a position slightly below that of the lower edge of the discharge chute and thereby drastically reducing the vertical distance the agricultural products will fall into the transport “tote.” The smaller dimensions of the tote (typically: 24 inches long×20 inches wide×14 inches high) and the minimal vertical clearance between the top of the tote and the bottom of the discharge chute illustrate the dramatic reduction in vertical distance that the freshly harvested agricultural products must fall.
This invention will also eliminate operation downtime as the trailer transporting the receptacles is hauled away and a new trailer is positioned to receive the filled totes. The tote conveyor system has enough space to permit “stacking” or “lining up” of filled totes on the surface of the conveyors so that the filling of the totes does not have to cease while a new trailer is being placed in position to receive them.
Several conveyor systems have been proposed in the past but most do not apply to the field of this invention. Those conveyor systems that do apply to the field of this invention are typically manpower-intensive or limited by what the host machine harvests.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,607 (1988) to Annas et. al. discloses a conveyor system having three separate stations and return conveyor system that links the first and third stations. Although this invention uses a conveyor system to move a pallet to a work station, it requires two points of manual intervention. The first point requiring manual intervention is where someone must place the pallet on the return conveyor. The second is where someone must lift the pallet from the return conveyor to the workstation. Further, the Annas patent discloses an invention that is stationary and restricted to an industrial building or setting rather than being mobile and capable of on-site applications. Most, if not all other conveyor systems outside the agricultural product field are similarly restricted by their lack of mobility or the requirement for numerous points of manual intervention.
While U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,196 (1970) to Jarret discloses an invention that is mobile, it discloses the use of conveyors for moving the actual vegetable product from station to station and finally to an end point where the product is manually placed into a packing container. Manual packing is manpower-intensive and time-consuming, both of which are expensive and inefficient. This same requirement for manual packing is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,983 (1983) to Peterson et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,755 (1992) to Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,833 (1997) to Gerber, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,081 (1999) to Ingram, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,281 (2002) to Ottoway.